The Battle That Had to Happen
by SKOOLATOON
Summary: Keitaro will be the champion!


"You can do it, Senpai!"

Shinobu patted Keitaro on the back. "I-I believe in you…!"

Keitaro's face was pale. "...Mo-Motoko-san, please, you're writing checks my body can't cash here! I-"

"I've trained you for an entire year." Motoko was having none of it. "I've even taught you a simple secret sword art. Loss to another male would be simply deplorable, and declining battle would be a shameful display of cowardice."

"Ye-yeah, but…!" Keitaro's eyes slowly widened as the other competitor stepped onto the battlefield.

A six foot tall man with short, blazing orange hair walked slowly into the middle of the arena. On his shoulder was an almost equally large red and black axe blade.

Shinobu propped her arms to her sides. "You can do it, Sempai! You-you're faster, you're stronger…!"

Keitaro nodded slowly. "I-I don't know about that last part…"

"He looks untrained, and his weapon is unrealistic." Motoko scoffs. "This may be the easiest contestant you have to face yet."

...Keitaro nods slowly, her words building his confidence. "...Ok-okay. He does look kinda dumb, I guess. But-"

"You are faster. That is all that matters." Motoko smiles at him. "Give him hell, Urashima. Prove to me that you aren't simply a waste of time and space."

Keitaro blinked at the pressure she put onto him. Before he knew it, Motoko pushed him along towards the edge of the arena.

The crowd cheered. "Aoyama~!"

...He felt confidence well up in his chest further, as they cheered for his instructor. "...We-well, I can't let them down."

Stepping further into the arena, Keitaro sized up his opponent…

"Ladies and gentlemen." An elder announced the beginning of the tournament on a loudspeaker. "We are here to observe the first fight of Japan's hundredth international kendo tournament."

' _If it's kendo, why does that guy have a giant axe…!?_ ' Keitaro felt his confidence wither.

"We have two new contestants to kendo in general, this year…" The old man announced. "The man in the black cloak, goes only by the name of Lexaeus, the Silent Hero!"

The crowd wasn't sure how to respond to the cheesy title. Mixed applauses and cheers were given anyway.

...Lexaeus huffed.

' _What do you mean, he's new to kendo!?_ '

"The man in the Aoyama colors… the Aoyama's newest disciple, trained by the very Motoko Aoyama herself, Keitaro Urashima!"

The crowd cheered audibly.

' _Now I feel even worse about this!_ ' Keitaro was feeling the pressure…

"Let the battle commence!" The old man gave the go for the action to commence.

Snapping from his daze, Keitaro held his sword high. "Al-alright… Let's keep this clean, yeah?"

Lexaeus glared at him.

' _...I was hoping we could at least be friendly._ ' Keitaro was hurt by his hostility.

Slinging his axe blade over his shoulder, Lexaeus roared. " _ **Huuooooaaa~h!**_ "

 _ **Fwoo~m!**_

The primal roar he emitted was with such intensity that it pushed Keitaro back, kicking up dust.

Keitaro's eyes were wide. "Th-this was a mistake! This was a _mistake!_ "

Motoko's anger flared from the sidelines. "Fight, Urashima!"

' _How!? I can't even get close to the dude!_ '

Lexaeus slowly jogged towards Keitaro, his axe blade ready.

' _O-oh, Kami…!_ '

Keitaro watched him jog towards him, and quickly responded with a jab.

Shink!

…

"I-I hit him?" Keitaro was shocked.

Lexaeus, however, was not. He stared down at the blade in his chest, unimpressed.

…

"Do I win?" Keitaro wondered aloud.

Lexaeus dug his axe blade into the wood floor below, and dragged it through the dirt underneath, intent on surprising Keitaro with a rising slash.

Surprise him, he did.

Keitaro was sent flying by the slash, which did more blunt damage than actual cutting damage. "Fuwaa~h!"

" _Fight him!_ " Motoko practically screamed.

' _You fight him!_ ' Keitaro have considered throwing the sword at her and hiding.

Thud. Keitaro landed on his bum a few feet away.

Lexaeus jogged towards him, again.

Keitaro tensed up, scrambling to his feet. "O-oh, geez…!"

Once again, Lexaeus attempted to dig through the dirt to strike Keitaro. However, this time, the Kanrinin was ready…

Keitaro guarded it.

Cli~ng!

Lexaeus stumbled back, surprised. "Hmm!?"

Feeling his strength jump tenfold. Keitaro violently and fluidly sent three slashes straight through Lexaeus' body.

Swish, swish, thwash!

"Huo~h…" Lexaeus doubled back, using his legs to regain his footing and steady himself again. His robe didn't show any damage from the combo Keitaro pulled off, however.

' _How… how did I do that?_ 'Keitaro glanced at his arms, feeling the immense strength that filled them fade. ' _So much power…_ '

"Oo~h!?" The crowd gasped!

...Lexaeus grimaced. "...Hrr~gh…"

Smirking at him, Keitaro guarded again. "How'd you like that, you big oaf? I know how to guard atta _~aaa~h!?_ "

Leaping through the air with more force than Keitaro thought could possibly be exerted by one human body, Lexaeus brought his axe blade straight down. Keitaro leapt out of the way-

The axe struck the floor.

 _Boom!_

"Woaa~h!" The mere impact sent Keitaro flying, and his body rocking. "Ho-holy…"

Thud.

...Motoko sighed. "Disgraceful."

' _You. Fight this._ ' Keitaro didn't feel any shame. ' _He's like a gorilla! He_ is _a gorilla!_ "

Tensing up all his muscles, Lexaeus let out another primal battle cry. " _ **Heyaa~h!**_ "

 _ **Fwoo~m!**_

Keitaro was pushed along the floor on his back, the shout's force propelling him.

' _This guy's not human, dude..._ '

Reeling his arm back, Lexaeus cast his axe blade straight up into the air.

' _Oh Kami please no, he's really going to go gorilla on me…!_ ' Keitaro flopped around, trying to get onto his legs again.

Lexaeus, however, did not move towards him.

...Keitaro successfully got onto his feet. "...U-uhm, please-"

Lurching over, Lexaeus punched the floor.

Blam!

A giant spike of rock and stone erected under Keitaro, sending him flying.

"Whaa~!?" Keitaro soared through the air, flying across the arena.

' _Paa~in!_ '

Motoko's jaw dropped.

Lexaeus punched the floor, again.

Blam!

Keitaro was too high up for the resulting spike to hurt him.

...Standing upright again, Lexaeus leapt into the air, and grabbed his axe blade. On the return trip, as Keitaro flopped to the ground-

Thud. ' _Owww~h…_ '

-Lexaeus dropped to the floor with full force, digging his weapon into the Earth.

Blam-boom-boom-boom!

Promptly, Keitaro was devastated by a massive spire of stone, which stretched to half the height of the arena.

Keitaro flew nearly straight up. "Aaaa~h!"

' _Make it sto~p! Motoko, this clearly has gone beyond kendo- do something!_ '

...Re-entering the atmosphere of the arena, Keitaro face planted.

Thud.

' _Gaaa~h!_ '

" _ **Hoooouuuu~h…!**_ " Lexaeus let out a primal roar, once more.

 _ **Fwoo~FWAAAM!**_

Keitaro was sent sliding like an air-hockey puck. "...Mmmrph."

...Lifting his head from the jagged and demolished wood and rock floor, Keitaro beholded the sight of Lexaeus, the Silent Hero. Lexaeus' aura flared violently enough that any untrained human could see it readily, and those who could properly read auras would see that his engulfed the _entire arena_. Red, yellow, black and orange. These were the violently pulsating colors that filled the previously overcast grey arena.

Keitaro had no words.

Lexaeus leapt. Moving upward and backward, Lexaeus floated into the air, suspended by his own gravitational pull.

' _...If Motoko blames me for this, I'm gonna be mad._ '

Lexaeus went up. Up, and up, and up, until his bright yellow aura was but a sun in the cloudy sky.

Motoko tried to encourage her pupil. "Ur-Urashima!"

Keitaro gave her a sad smile, and waved.

"Guard!" Motoko desperately suggested.

Almost with mirth, Keitaro half-heartedly guarded. ' _I'm so done._ '

Lexaeus fell like the meteor that extinct the dinosaurs. The arena shook and rumbled as he neared it again, the audience actually getting up and moving to leave calmly…

Rocks and floorboard fragments floated into the air, gravitating towards the incoming meteor.

' _Uh oh._ ' Keitaro smiled up at the not-so silent and not-so heroic meteor coming for him.

Lexaeus landed in the center of the arena, not even close to where Keitaro stood.

But it didn't matter.

 _ **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~**_

* * *

...Keitaro opened his eyes.

' _Wh-what… happened…?_ '

...Panning his head to the side, he saw Motoko's worried face.

"...Mo-Motoko…?" He managed.

...Motoko sighed in relief. "...You're okay."

' _Why wouldn't I be?_ ' Keitaro blinked. '... _How did I get here?_ '

The door to the hospital room swung open.

...A tall man in a black coat walked in.

' _Oh Kami- I remember! Why is he here!?_ ' Keitaro's eyes widen, and he begins trying to wiggle, only to find that he was in a full body cast.

...Lexaeus walked up to Motoko and Keitaro, but his eyes were focused on the samurai. "...Is he awake?"

Motoko glared at him. "What do you want?"

...Lexaeus raised a small bouquet of flowers, and held up a card.

…

"What is _this?_ " Motoko seethed.

"An apology." His voice vibrated outwards.

"By _hitting on me?_ " Motoko's hand smoothly went for her sheath.

Lexaeus blinked.

"Perverted male!" Motoko lashed out at him.

Shwing!

Lexaeus hastily tossed the flowers and the card on Keitaro's end table as Motoko slashed at him. As if being attacked by a bee or a mosquito, Lexaeus stepped out of the room briskly as Motoko continually assaulted him.

Once he was out of the room, Motoko slammed the door. " _Leech!_ "

…

Keitaro tilted his head to look at the card.

'Sorry For Violently Crushing You With An Axeblade'.

' _...Ah._ ' Keitaro sighed. ' _It really was just an apology…_ '

Motoko picked up the flowers and the card, and threw them in the nearby trash bin. "Disgusting."

…

After a few moments, Motoko spoke. "You're challenging him to a rematch. We can't let a pervert like that be recognized."

' _Dear God, why!?_ '


End file.
